Challenge yourself to tat 25 motifs within the next 12 months and show us your progress. A motif can be a medallion, snowflake, heart, bookmark, butterfly, earrings or any small piece of tatting. Tell us where the pattern is from or if it's original. Post pictures on your blog, web page or photo page. Add a comment below the current post giving the location of your pictures and you will be added to the list of links.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Riet received several sock monkeys at the Palmetto Tat Days and she posts a picture of Nora being entertained by one.The candle holder has a tatted Christmas tree from a free December pattern and she can't remember the name on it.

Wendy posted a picture of her completed yo-yo advent calendar with all it's decorations and some pictures of ornament wreaths.

Tami tatted an edging for a hanky to give to her daughter-in law and then created a wedding dress card to hold the hanky. How wonderfully creative!

Connie was tagged and shares 7 weird/or random facts. She has posted a slide show of pictures of the moon in December.

Sapna loves this Iris Niebach's designs especially this motif and we can all see why, it's simply gorgeous. How about this marvelous doily. Here's another doily, that's a gift for a friend and the design is from Jan Stawasz. What a luck friend to receive such a beautiful piece of lace.

Iris created an amazing double flower pendant and it took her seven tries to figure out how to do it all in one pass. I think hearing how terrific designers like Iris and Jane tat the same design over and over again to get it just right helps to dispel the myth the somehow designers just create new patterns as if by magic. It helps to encourage other people to take the plunge and try to make their own unique designs.

Arlene's son got engaged after 5 years and now she can give her daughter in law to be the hanky she tatted. Lucky girl she gets a wonderful fiance and a beautiful hanky.

Clyde is now on row 8 of the 17 row doily and he thinks it might end up being larger than he anticipated. He's also thinking about the possibility of designing and publishing a book of tatted doily patterns. That sounds like a great idea.

Laura tatted Snowflake Rose #3 in Marilee's hand dyed thread called "Rose." and DMC Cebelia for tatting the rings. It's a luscious snowflake and we can see why you'd want to keep your white tree with it's colourful snowflakes up all year.Charlene has been cross stitching some Santas.

Melissa has been working on a friendship block and she has incorporated some tatting along with the other embellishments.

Sherry is working on a potted plant design. It isn't quite what she wants yet, but she already knows where she wants to tweak it.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Eva received a lovely exchange package from her Secret Santa and shows us the treasures she received.

Elizabeth has tatted an ornament from a Japanese book by T Fujito in one strand of DMC metallic floss and one strand of Anchor size 80 in a copper color.

Sylvia shows us her very first motif using a split chain. Split chains aren't really hard to do, but since you only use them occasionally, it's hard to get enough practice to do them consistently well and as we all know practice makes perfect. There is a practice patternon my web site that is a small repeated motif which uses both split rings and split chains. If you do several motives in size 20 or 30 it makes a nice bookmark so you get practice and a useful completed project. Sylvia has also included a picture displaying some of her tatting shuttles including several thought to be "pumpkin seed" shuttles.

Wendy has a whole selection of corsages added to her shop and she has displayed some of the family's Christmas gifts. Wendy has asked readers to let her know which of the things they have seen on her blog they'd like to see in her shop. Her current WIPs include a crocheted baby dress and a drop stitch scarf.

Anne has finished a knitted hood for use in cold weather, a shawl for her aunt and her Christmas stole.

Connie loves Bob's pattern and tatted it in Rubi variegated green. She had enough thread left on the shuttle to experiment with beads tatting the dove earring by JoAnn Stearns.

Norma has been trying to finish off some projects that are works in slow progress (WISP) and one of hers was a scarf in eyelash yarn. Her Christmas cap in Enterlac knitting was done some time ago but people still ask her about it. She has worked through the TAST challenge this year and increased her stitch library. Norma used some vintage silk threads to tat these motives the top piece is her favourite earring pattern and the middle piece is a variation of the bottom piece which comes from the Tatting Patterns and Designs book by Blomqvist and Persson. Some of Norma's antique shuttles are shown including a pumpkin seed shuttle. These distinctive antique shuttles in creamy white with the raised ridge, resemble the pumpkin seeds from which they take their name and are quite collectible.Mary shares her Secret Santa treasures, including a wonderful Christmas ball ornament.

Margaret finished off her Christmas presents in time which included crocheted dishcloths.

Mrs John joins the challenge and she has just begun to tat and is doing both needle and shuttle tatting. These are some of her first pieces which she hasn't blocked yet. Did you notice I said beginning? I wish my first pieces looked this good.

Diane has decided to finish off some WIPs, one afghan down a dozen more projects to go. Diane's Christmas tree is sporting a lovely red cap that she made for her granddaughter Eva.

Carol participated in the tatted ornament exchange and shows the gifts she received in return. She has wanted to show what she sent out but had to keep it under wraps until now. It's a box of tatted chocolates. Yummy.

Clyde has moved his blog to Blogger so if anyone has bookmarked his blog, don't forget to update your links.

Marilee used a row of split rings tatted with 2 strands of size 10 thread to make a sturdy loop for a handwoven bag.

Laura received some more hand dyed thread as a Christmas present which she fully plans to enjoy. One more snowflake, this one is Lenore English's design in Sherry's Berries 'N Cream size 20. Don't drool over the cake she has pictured, it's Mark's "Tatter's Chocolate Cake". This rose centered snowflake started out according to the pattern, but somewhere it got sidetracked and so Laura just did her own thing for the outer round. I has a tendency to bowl, but it has been blocked into submission and now Laura can scan her own lace, since she was given a scanner for Christmas. Charlene has joined Bride's Tree stitch along.

Melissa did a silk ribbon poinsettia ornament for an exchange and completed a set of Mr and Mrs pillow slips for a Christmas gift.

Wally is working on a doily but things got stalled when she poured boiling water over her hand.

Pamela has finished her challenge and tatted a gorgeous camel for a card in beautiful Christmas colours and blocked the saddle so that it bowled and gave a marvelous 3D effect. The design is by Dolly Hollander and tatted in size 10 Flora thread he stands about 11cm tall and 14cm wide. Pamela created a terrific snowflake using a holographic sequin for the centre and adding beads at strategic places. She has included the pattern and the instructions for how to open up the hole in the sequin on her blog. She has also shown us a picture of her tiny tree laden with tatting.

Sylvia tatted the snowflake from Tatting 2000, The Ring of Tatters book using no 20 thread.

Wendy continues with ornaments for her advent calendar. The girls have taken the teddy bears to school where they will be distributed to children Christmas. The studio is busy as the girls get with Mom and create their gifts for each other. There's time for fun in the snow and some pictures Wendy received of Arlington.

Joyce has also finished her challenge with the beaded snowflake pattern from my web site. Ryer's Christmas stocking is done with some cute snowmen and a mini 9 patch quilt is completed. Joyce has tatted a medallion to practice using beads and to create something she could mount a shank button on. Isn't it cute?

Tami had a visit with family in Arizona then came back to Denver weather. The quilt guild had their Christmas party and exchanged quilt blocks and then she had the Christmas brunch at the quilt shop and she tatted a red bell for the gift exchange.

Connie has added a lot of tatting to her blog. This light pink oval motif is done using Anchor pearl cotton size 12 and the pattern is from "Tatting- 60 original Lace Treasures by Christel Weidmann". The multi colour motif is from "The Cherub Doily" made with Superior Threads Perfect Quilter size 100 thread.The next motif in blue n white is just a bit where Connie was emptying a shuttle and the green is a Majestic thread Size 80 where the pattern is one of Wally's Tat-along projects and these aren't finished or blocked yet. The little beaded bit and the pastel variegated thread are also bits done to empty shuttles and the variegated is a King Tut thread. Connie used the tab off a potato sack to tat JoAnn Stearns Dove pattern. She plans to re-do this with beads for earrings. The last is tatted with J.P. Coats Best 6 cord Big Ball in an off-white color size 20 and the pattern is from Wally's Tat Along.

Iris has added the tatted Summer Necklace with the accompanying earrings that were on display at Palmetto. Iris creates such gorgeous jewellery.

Diane returned to school to find that all of the children had made cards for her and they were displayed all around the library. Awesome. Taking stock of what she has done, she discovered that she had 37 completed motives or projects. 25 seems like a lot until you get started and then suddenly, you're done.

Bob started tatting Roger Freedman's Babies Breath, but decided after round 2 to do his own thing. Since it's done in green and not pastel pink maybe a good name for it would be Lily Pond as opposed to Frog's Breath.

Bev has been tidying up her blog and removing the tatted pieces she wasn't happy with but all in all she's pleased with her progress this year as she managed to learn both split rings and SCMRs

Kelly is off to her parents house for Christmas and won't be posting due to lack of internet access.

Kate tatted the “Layered Tatted Snowflake” by Nancy in glace quilting thread that she didn't like and she wants to re-do it in better thread. The edging from the Tatting Pattern Calendar turned into a wreath. The colorful snowflake is made with King Tut quilting thread. This spiral join motif was taught by Nina Libin at Palmetto Tat Days 2006 and Kate has just finished it. Also shown is a card embellished with tatting that Kate sent to a friend.

Margaret tatted a cross from Monica Hahn's book Christmas Angels and Other Tatting Patterns for a Christmas gift. The snowman also from Monica's book is another gift.

Carol has more candy tatted for her gingerbread house. She doesn't expect to have it ready for this Christmas, but it will be a wonderful decoration when it's done.Arlene hasn't been posting, but she has been tatting. Look at these lovely ball ornaments. Her tree is so heavily laden with accumulated treasures that it fell over, but only a few ornaments broke and none of them were really special.

Clyde is working on a new doily in 2 shades of green that calls for 17 rows which will make it quite large. His Christmas tree this year is simple and elegant with lights tatting and candy canes.

Mark can't show any of his tatting yet as they are gifts, so instead he has posted pictures of a cake he did. Mark is such an elf!

Jon doesn't have much to say, just lots of pictures to show. A square doily for an exchange - from A new Approach to Tatting by Yusai Shokoin. Pastel pink Snowflakes from Tatting with Anne Orr, and bright red medallions from the same book, followed by a couple of medallions of her own design. Doesn't Jon have a marvellous flair for designing?

I tatted snowflakes, then I tatted some more snowflakes, about 20 in all. Nothing elaborate, just something I can do a lot of fairly quickly because I never leave myself enough time to do all the Christmas tatting I want to do.

Marilee is working on her holly snowflake, but it still needs a little tweaking. She has also created some frog closures using both a simple design and a more elaborate version.

Laura has combined the variegated Rhubarb Crisp with a red and green Cebelia for a vibrantly colourful snowflake that shows up well on the white tree and goes beautifully with the branches of cranberries around the base of the tree. Doesn't Isaac make a perfect miniature Santa? Laura has fallen in love with hand dyed threads but she has DMC and Flora threads languishing away so she's trying to use them together. The pattern from the Bestitched web site was done in Grapefruit and the other pattern we have seen before, but done here in Flora variegated with DMC chains. All of them are as beautiful as the passion flower.

Charlene has been working on a variety of cross stitch ornaments for an exchange and she has posted a Christmas greeting.

Melissa shows how she embroiders on stretchy fabrics like baby clothes and she has included a picture of one of the cuties wearing his embroidered baby T. She has also created some adorable brooches covered with sweetheart roses for her Etsy shop.

Sherry has some new thread colours, Rainbow Sherbert and Guacamole created. They both look scrumptious. Sherry found some double sided picture frames that she used to display her tatting. These pictures will make lovely gifts.

Kathy tatted a sample of Gutermann silk thread to see how it works up. She took a picture of the motif with a ruler so that we can see how fine the thread is.